Brunswick and Moreland Catholic Community

CELEBRATING 150 YEARS At the end of this year, St Ambrose’s Church in Brunswick will be celebrating its sesquicentenary. It will be 150 years since the church was opened and the first Mass celebrated there. We are planning to celebrate this momentous event on 19 November, and more details will be advertised closer to the date. In the meantime, we will be placing regular snippets of history in this newsletter to illustrate the timeline of the story of St Ambrose’s church. Here is the first story in the timeline:

IN THE BEGINNING … St Ambrose’s church stands on traditional Wurundjeri land. We can imagine that, for more than 50,000 years, children ran around here amongst the trees. Men hunted on this land for food to feed their families. The land was sacred. It was the source of all life. Women also foraged for food and cooked it in earth ovens. They made possum-skin cloaks to keep their families warm in winter. In the evenings, the people gazed at the stars and told their Dreamtime stories. They sang songs, danced and passed on ancient traditions from generation to generation. We need to listen to the voices of the Wurundjeri and honour the history of the land upon which we stand.

Arrival of White Settlers and the Fledgeling Catholic Population:

In 1835, European settlers arrived in Port Phillip (named Melbourne in 1837). They were attracted by the rich pastures to the west and north of Port Phillip. These were the lands that the Wurundjeri people had long inhabited.

The area of Brunswick was surveyed in 1839 and several farming allotments were created along the north-south track which later became Sydney Road. In that same year, a 34-year-old Irish priest, Fr Patrick Geoghegan OFM, arrived as the first Catholic priest for Melbourne. He saw the poverty of the growing Catholic population and praised the catechist Catherine Coffey for her initiative in teaching children the Catholic catechism in the absence of a priest. It was Catherine who, on Pentecost Sunday 1839, prepared a large wooden box covered with a linen cloth as a humble altar for the first Mass in the colony. It was celebrated in a shop on the corner of Little Collins and Elizabeth Streets. Over the next nine years, progress in church and school building was very slow, mainly due to the poverty of the Catholic people who were mostly Irish. A small weatherboard chapel, built during 1839 on the site that is now St Francis’ Church, became the only place to attend Sunday Mass. Therefore, Catholic families who were settling in the Brunswick area needed to travel to that small wooden church for Sunday Mass and, to give their children a Catholic education, go to the Catechism School run by Mrs Catherine Coffey.

Arriving in 1848 at the age of 36, Bishop James Goold was appointed as the first Catholic bishop for Melbourne. He immediately set to work overseeing the construction of church buildings for the ever-increasing Catholic population of Melbourne. By 1850, the foundation stone for St Paul’s church in Pentridge (later named Coburg) had been laid. The first priest appointed to this new mission was Fr Patrick Dunne who had arrived from Ireland that same year. Fr Dunne’s mission extended from the Brunswick area into the far north of the diocese. He also acted as chaplain to the infamous Pentridge Prison. By then, gold had been discovered in Victoria and the builder abandoned a half-built St Paul’s church to try his luck on the goldfields. So, for some time, Mass was held in either the roofless church or a marquee on the site, depending on the weather. It was not until 1855 that the first St Paul’s church was finally finished and dedicated by Bishop Goold.

The Naming of the Church

As the new church was under construction, it was decided to dedicate it to St Ambrose, the first Bishop of Lombardy. A local catholic parishioner, Sebastian Danelli, suggested the church be named St Ambrose’s as his family came from Milan, the city of the ancient Basilica of Saint Ambrose. St Ambrose is buried in the Basilica. The Danelli family were among the first Italians to live in Brunswick and by 1869 Sebastian had established a pasta-making business on Sydney Road that catered to the culinary needs of other Italian immigrants.

The original design for St Ambrose’s

The design for the church that was drawn up by the architect, Mr J.M. Robertson, included a 22.5 metre bell tower which was not built due to the cost. On the day the foundation stone was laid, 13 February 1870, the following was reported in the diocesan paper, The Advocate: The weather was beautifully fine, and about 800 persons from the various parts of the surrounding district were present at the sacred ceremonies. The want of a Catholic church in Brunswick has been severely felt for a long time by the Catholics of the Borough, who are obliged to go to Coburg to Mass or come to Melbourne.

An Altar to Commemorate Fr Luby

In 1911, work began on a new high altar to commemorate Fr Edmund Luby who had given so many years of his life to the parish. The altar is constructed of white Sicilian marble and Australian red marble. The overall design is decorative Gothic. On either side of the tabernacle are mosaic panels of St Patrick, St Brigid, St Ambrose and St Augustine This altar is a worthy monument to the legacy of our first resident Parish priest, Fr Edmund Luby. Much of what we see today, when we look around the church building can be attributed to his inspiration.

The Fine Pipe Organ and Choir

During Fr Luby’s years in the parish, the church had been extended and made quite decorative. The fine pipe organ in the choir loft is an example of his contribution to the church. It was purchased for £500 in 1891 and was blessed and first used on the Sunday after its installation at a High Mass which Archbishop Thomas Carr celebrated. The parish choir – 70 people strong – sang Mozart’s 12th Mass, Rossini’s Inflammatus, Tantum Ergo and O Salutaris.

 By the 1920s, St Ambrose’s choir had swelled to 150 choristers. The choir also regularly featured on ABC radio, as the 11 o’clock Sunday Mass was often broadcast live. Because of its fame, the choir attracted many fine voices and musicians. Here is an advertisement from The Advocate 8 September 1927:

 “In aid of the Christian Brothers’ carnival, a grand concert will be given in the Brunswick Town Hall on Thursday evening 15 September at 8 o'clock by St Ambrose’s choir, assisted by Miss Maisie Ramsay and Mr John Sullivan. A very fine programme has been prepared, comprising solos and duets and orchestral items. Miss Maisie Ramsay and Mr John Sullivan will be heard in the Miserere from II Trovatore. Amongst the choir numbers will be Rossini’s La Carita, which has not been sung in Victoria for years. Miss Mollie Forster will be the accompanist, with Mr Hugh McRae, musical director. The price of admission has been fixed at one shilling.”

 Photos from Top: The high altar built to commemorate the legacy of Fr Luby; the pipe organ in the choir loft; Archbishop Thomas Carr who came to bless the pipe organ and celebrate High Mass at St Ambrose’s.

The Impact of World War I:

When the war started in 1915 there was considerable support and even some excitement. But by 1917, its devastating impact was keenly felt. Approximately 5,000 young local men enlisted at the recruitment office opposite St Ambrose’s church – the Brunswick Mechanics Institute. About 700 of these men never returned.

 The women of St Ambrose’s parish spent countless hours baking, knitting and creating parcels of items such as food and socks for soldiers. They also sent letters to those serving overseas to keep up the soldiers’ morale. At the same time, many St Ambrose’s parishioners believed that it was not right to fight in war – that it was wrong to kill, and that peaceful solutions should be found. Men who chose not to enlist for these reasons were known as conscientious objectors. John Curtin, a parishioner of St Ambrose’s and future Australian Prime Minister, was a conscientious objector during World War I. Because of his stance against the war, he was charged with causing ‘disaffection to His Majesty’. Anti-conscriptionists had a solid following in Brunswick due mostly to its large working-class and Irish Catholic population. St Ambrose’s Hall was their headquarters in Brunswick. Dr Daniel Mannix, the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne had a close association with the Catholic people of Brunswick, particularly the anti-conscriptionists. In a speech given at St Ambrose’s he claimed that the war was simply a ‘trade war’ without divine sanction or moral justification.

 Photos: John Curtin, a parishioner of St Ambrose’s who became Prime Minister of Australia; Dr Daniel Mannix, Archbishop of Melbourne from 1917 – 1963

THE DEPRESSION YEARS The years of the Great Depression (1929 – 1939) were particularly tough in Brunswick as it was hit by soaring unemployment. St Vincent de Paul Society did wonderful work distributing clothing, food and money to the many needy families in the parish. The Mercy Sisters who were teaching at St Ambrose’s School at that time, arranged a scheme whereby several mothers sent extra school lunches for the many children who came to school hungry. The Sisters also visited homes to offer help. On one occasion they had to sit on the floor as all the chairs had been sold to buy food. People planted gardens to grow fruit and vegetables, and many set up barter systems to share what they had available. Organisations such as the Unemployed Workers Movement demanded improved welfare and relief. Authorities often attempted to repress protest by banning street marches and free speech. This was resisted by campaigns of civil resistance, with local artist Noel Counihan famously speaking from inside a locked cage near St Ambrose’s church (on the corner of Phoenix Street and Sydney Road). This action is commemorated by a sculpture in front of the Mechanics Institute opposite St Ambrose’s church. The St Vincent de Paul Society remained very active long after the Depression ended. They continued to help the neediest families, as they still do today. Photos from Top: St Ambrose’s St Vincent de Paul Society in 1926; a Brunswick family evicted from their home during the Great Depression

The Impact of World War II

St Ambrose’s parish community continued to grow during World War II (1939 – 1945) even though many men from the parish were on active service. The Japanese capture of much of Southeast Asia, the aerial attacks on Darwin and the submarine assaults in Sydney Harbour showed that Australia could possibly be invaded.

The threat was so real that trenches were dug around St Ambrose’s church and school, as well as at busy intersections in Brunswick. Government preparations were made to evacuate children. The majority of parish parents wished to have their children evacuated to a country centre under the care of the Sisters of Mercy. However, this proved to be unnecessary because by the end of 1943 and into 1944 the Japanese were in retreat and the threat of invasion dissipated.

 Rationing was introduced to manage shortages. Families were given books of ration coupons for items such as clothing, tea, sugar, butter, and meat. From time to time, eggs and milk were also rationed. Brunswick parishioners learned to economise during those war years and continued to support one another through this very difficult time.

PHOTOS: The threat of war comes to Australia; a man digs trenches in Brunswick, Girls at St Ambrose’s School during the early years of the war.

European Immigration After the War

 The years following the end of World War II brough great changes to the population of Brunswick. European immigration to the area increased dramatically, including large numbers of migrants from southern Italy, particularly Sicily and Calabria.

 St Ambrose’s parish community, which had largely been of Irish descent until that time, began to reflect a distinctly Italian ‘face’. Since then, the Italian contribution to St Ambrose’s parish has been very significant. An Italian Mass was celebrated every Sunday until recent years. To this day, the Italian Festa tradition continues throughout the year.

 Over the years, the Italian community has had a strong social network, holding dinner dances, bus trips and picnics. More recently, there have been film afternoons and Scripture discussion groups. The Italian presence has been an important part of the history of St Ambrose’s.

Photos: Map of Italy; Statue of Padre Pio in the grounds of St Ambrose’s; A bus trip for the Italian community to a flower farm in Healesville

THE RECOLLECTIONS OF ARCHBISHOP FRANK LITTLE

Fr Frank Little was the Parish Priest of St Ambrose’s between 1971 and 1973. He wrote fondly of his time in the parish:

“As the Parish Priest of St Ambrose’s, I felt privileged to have been part of the parish’s life and growth. The people of St Ambrose can be rightfully proud of the way, in recent times, in which so many from all corners of the globe have been welcomed, made to feel at home and assisted in settling into Australia. I loved the people of Brunswick. They are a special lot. It was a privilege to collaborate with them as they generously served the Church. It was a challenging parish, but we had a great time together and I will ever remain grateful to my co-workers. I was very sorry to leave there after my appointment as an auxiliary bishop.

When the liturgy for my reception as Archbishop was being planned, it was proposed that triumphal music be played on my entrance into the Cathedral. I told them that style of music was not my scene, but they insisted. As I entered the Cathedral, the triumphal music commenced. However, the three back benches were filled with Italian parishioners from St Ambrose’s. With typical Italian enthusiasm they commenced to clap. The clapping continued as I made my way down the aisle. So much for the triumphal music. It was lost!

Amici miei, siete bravissimi. Molte grazie.”

PHOTO: St Ambrose’s schoolchildren congratulate Fr Little on his appointment as an auxiliary bishop.

ANOTHER PARISH PRIEST WHO SERVED FOR 22 YEARS

Fr Edmund Luby and Fr Michael Casey have been the longest serving Parish Priests in the history of St Ambrose’s parish, both having served for 22 years.

Fr Michael arrived in the parish in January 1997 and quickly began to put new heart and spirit into the life of the parish. He established structures such as the Parish Leadership Team and a variety of committees to look after every aspect of parish life, represented by four main areas: Worship, Community, Service and Proclamation. Fr Michael’s sense of social justice meant that all were welcome to come to the Parish House with any need or to visit the open church to pray. With the help of parishioners, he set up a foodbank for the poor of the area and opened his house for the needy, particularly asylum seekers. His friendships extended to the Ministers of the other Christian Churches of Brunswick, and he helped implement the Palm Sunday ecumenical gatherings which, until recently, were held in the grounds of St Ambrose’s church.

Fr Michael was faithful to the daily demands and experiences of a busy parish life – visiting the sick and housebound on a regular basis, weddings, funerals, baptisms, RCIA, responding to the needs of the Parish School and the two nursing homes, supporting parish outreach, and the ongoing pondering and conversations on how the parish might keep walking in both ministry and mission. Like Fr Edmund Luby, he was a much-loved Parish Priest, and an important part of the history of St Ambrose’s parish.